The BU-BMC Summer Science Scholars Program, now in its fifth consecutive year, was created with the mission to educate, inspire and equip local high school students from our immediate surrounding communities in Boston to pursue careers in STEM-related fields. Our program consists of an intensive week-long laboratory immersion in biomedical research followed by longer-term mentoring and opportunities for continued engagement.
In 2021 this program was formed out of a united effort between the Hagedorn Lab and other members of the Section of Hematology & Medical Oncology at Boston University and Boston Medical Center (BU-BMC), answering a call to action to support students from predominantly under-resourced areas in Boston who have an interest in pursuing careers in STEM but have limited exposure to laboratory research. The first summer, we were able to develop lesson plans, scrap together research supplies, and recruit five students, despite at that time having limited connections to local schools and outreach programs. No matter the reach, however, we were eager to make an impact. As the years have passed, we have been able to expand the number of students accepted to our program, in no small part due to the funding from ASCB in 2023 and 2025, and now in 2026. This generous support from ASCB covered the majority of the research supplies used by our students, allowing us to use our other funding sources to cover additional costs associated with our program, including a small stipend and provided lunch. For many of the students, our program is their first intensive hands-on experience in a research laboratory setting and ASCB has had an invaluable role in helping us try to make the experience as wonderful and inspiring as possible for our students.
The week kicked off with getting the students acquainted with general laboratory etiquette and safety procedures, as well as touring the research spaces of the participating laboratories. This was followed by time spent discussing the importance of lab notebooks and giving each of their notebooks a personalized touch with science stickers, which doubled as an opportunity for informal conversations as the students got to know their peers and mentors. We next had the students partake in an activity to learn how to micropipette, following a guide to create artwork with colored water in 96 well plates. The students also received a tour of our Boston University aquatics facility where the Xenopus (frog) and zebrafish model organisms are housed for breeding. The day concluded with a “Grow a Germ” activity, where students swabbed surfaces around campus then streaked the samples onto LB agar plates. The plates were kept in an incubator overnight and the following day the students were met with the surprise by a number of different types and colors of bacterial colonies — some surfaces spawning more than others.
For the remainder of the week, the students jumped into wet lab experiments at the bench, putting to use the micropipetting skills they honed on the first day. Their first activity at the bench was to perform a restriction digest of ‘mystery plasmids’, using gel electrophoresis to separate the fragments of DNA. Based on the fragment size, students were able to solve the ‘mystery’ and deduce the identity of their plasmids based on the unique banding patterns. Other activities throughout the week included learning about recombinant proteins (by purifying GFP from E. coli), learning about how to dissect the neural tubes of Xenopus embryos, hematoxylin and eosin staining of various pre-fixed tissue slices from mouse organs, and learning how to make lactose-free milk using an enzymatic column-based purification method. Carolina Biological Supply generously donated the kits used for purifying GFP and making the lactose-free milk.
Outside of the lab, students attended a formal lab meeting held by members of the Hagedorn Lab, introducing them to our member’s individual projects and the long-term goals we hope to achieve with our research. As with previous years, we assembled a group of scientists from various stages in their careers in academia and industry to participate in our career panel. The students were highly engaged, with many of their questions focused on the training required and the types of careers available in biomedical research, leading to a dynamic discussion between the panelists and students. This was followed by additional professional and collegiate development activities later in the week, including visits from college admissions representatives, a scheduled Q&A with alumni from previous cohorts of our program (e.g., on navigating college with the goal of pursuing a career in the biomedical field), a resume workshop and a presentation on how to reach out to PIs for the opportunity to engage in additional research experiences.
The lab-based portion of the program culminated with a pizza party, bringing together students, panelists, and volunteers to celebrate a successful week of science and fun. After receiving a formal printed certificate for their participation in the program, students were assigned long-term mentors who are active researchers at BU-BMC. These mentors will check in with the students every ~6 months to offer any advice/assistance with career advancement, for example with regards to preparing college applications or to connect them with additional research opportunities.
Although the initial laboratory component is relatively short, our engagement and interactions with the students and alumni extends far beyond that first week. Over the past five years we have continuously grown a network of students, alumni and mentors that reaches beyond the individual student-mentor relationship. To further nurture the community associated with our program, for the past two years we have hosted a fall family barbeque in a local park with food and games where students, alumni, volunteers and researchers can join with their friends and family. The barbeque is held a few weeks after the completion of the laboratory portion of the program, and has been a great opportunity not only for mentors to check in with students, but also provides a space for establishing and growing new connections that could serve as a source of support for the students as they continue on their journey in biomedical research.
We are incredibly grateful for the support from ASCB not just this year, but for three years in total now. Having funding from ASCB, as a leading society in cell biology and basic science research, has been absolutely crucial for our program’s longevity and our ability to increase the magnitude of its impact. It is an honor to partner with ASCB to advance exposure and education in the STEM-related fields. Each year we have felt as though it has been our best year yet and we can’t wait to see what comes in the years ahead!
Authors include: Zewde Ingram (PhD Student), Gwen Beacham, PhD (Postdoc), Maura Dodge (PhD Student), and Elliott Hagedorn, PhD (Assistant Professor) of the Hagedorn Lab at Boston University-Boston Medical Center, who each help found and organize the Summer Science Scholars Program by recruiting students, acquiring funding, designing and teaching activities, and serving as long-term mentors. The Hagedorn lab studies the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms that guide the movement of cells and particles from the bloodstream into and out of different tissues and organs, primarily using the zebrafish embryo as a model organism.
About the Author:
This post was collaboratively written by several ASCB staff members.
